


A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

by Tabata



Series: Leoverse [307]
Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29520636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabata/pseuds/Tabata
Summary: Blaine just bought a house in Lima (Ohio) with the sole purpose of taking care of a deranged Leo. He has no idea how to face the kid after what went down between them. Cleaning the house and making it nice for him seems a good place to start.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Leoverse [307]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/30541
Kudos: 1





	A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

**Author's Note:**

> Written for: Lande di Fandom's COW-T #11 (Week 2 - M2)  
> prompt: A Clean, Well-Lighted Place (Ernest Hemingway)

The new property in Lima is a Queen Anne style two-story house, not a studio apartment like he has in New York. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a roomy kitchen with a breakfast nook and a huge family room. Not exactly what he would have gone for if he had had the time to think this through, but he was in a hurry and there weren't that many options available to him in Lima, Ohio when he called the few real estate agencies in the area, almost overnight, to find a place to stay.

He didn't want to uproot Timmy to keep him in an hotel room for months while he searched for a place to stay. It was bad enough that his son was going to have to change school, friends and habits. The least Blaine could do for him was to find a real house. He could have rented one, of course, he thought about that – he's not so rich yet not to take the possibility into consideration – but the offer was even more limited.

Besides, he didn't know if he was going to stay a week or a year. He didn't want to answer to anyone if he could avoid it. 

So he bought the first house that was at least acceptable. It wouldn't even be so bad, having the means and the time to renovate it and make some modifications to it – it's an original turn-of-the-century residence, with its history and value – but at the moment he has neither and so he has to deal with more than a few flaws. The biggest one is probably that poor purple excuse for a bathroom on the second floor – which he's trying very very hard to ignore – but family room, living room and his own bedroom all leave a lot to be desired. The only redeeming quality is the kitchen and Blaine refuses to acknowledge the fact that a part of him is wishing that it's going to be put to use by someone who actually knows how.

Someone who's currently living in his parents' house and doesn't know that he's going to be picked up in a couple hours.

Blaine asked Dr. Williams if it would have been better to talk to Leo before deciding for him, but she said he's in no condition to make any decision – which is a bit unsettling – and that presenting him with the idea beforehand would only give him the impression of having a choice, which he doesn't. Blaine understands the reasoning and he trusts the doctor completely, but the idea of ambushing the kid doesn't sit well with him.

Feeling worried and more than a little guilty, he decided to clean up the place and make it as cozy and welcoming as he can. If he has to force Leo to live in this house – even if it's for his own good – the least he can do is to make it a nice place. Besides, they tell him the kid is not coming home most of the time and he's hardly sleeping in nice places, so he's probably in desperate need of one.

To make the affair of cleaning the house a little less gloomy for himself, Blaine involves Timmy who agrees excitedly the moment Blaine turns the whole thing into a series of missions. “We'll start from there and make our way through the whole house. This living room is a real piece of work,” he declares, observing the room from the balcony upstairs. “What do you say, lieutenant Timmy?”

“Not with the right weapons, it's not, sir!” Timmy passes his dad the mop and grabs his own dusting cloth. “We will beat it to a pulp!”

They march down the stairs, singing a make-up song about cleaning that Blaine miraculously manages to put together on the spot and then they get to work. Timmy doesn't do much except moving dust from one place to another, but it's a nice cheerful presence. He tells Blaine about his last several dreams – all of which involve dinosaurs or chocolate or both things together – and also about the conversation he had with his grandma the day before.

Timmy is a very calm child but, unfortunately, he is also a chatty one.

“Dad?” He asks at some point, while they move onto the kitchen after leaving a spic-and-span living room behind themselves. 

“Yes, Powder Puff?”

Timmy drags himself to one of the kitchen stool on which he proceeds to climb like a little koala bear. “Who is this friend that's coming to live with us?”

Blaine sighs and sits down too. “His name is Leo and he is indeed a friend,” Blaine smiles at him, trying to reassure him. “Actually, you have already met him. He used to hold you in his arms and make you dance around the house whenever he thought I wasn't looking.”

Timmy frowns. Blaine can almost see the little gears whirring in his head. “I don't remember any of that.”

“You were very small,” Blaine chuckles. “You were six, maybe eight months old. You liked spending time with him. He made you laugh.”

“And where did he go?”

Blaine's smile vanishes from his lips for a moment, but he forces himself to find it again. “He had to study and I had you. We had just met, we needed to get to know each other, didn't we?” He tickles him and Timmy laughs, wiggling on the kitchen stool. “Then you and I moved to New York and I—I lost track of Leo for a while. But Leo's not feeling very well right now and he needs my help. That is why we came here.”

“Does he have the flu?” Timmy asks. “We could make him hot cocoa. You always make hot cocoa for me when I have the flu.”

Blaine chuckles and strokes his hair. “It's not that easy, pumpkin. Leo doesn't have a cold. He is hurting here,” he tries to explain, tapping his head. “He is very very very sad and confused and angry.”

“Does he have to go to a head doctor?”

“Something like that, yes. But he also needs someone to be his friend,” Blaine goes on, trying to put it as simple as he can. He doesn't like to lie to his son, but he also hates to tell him _I'll tell you when you're older_ , so he needs to compromise.

“I can be his friend,” Timmy nods. “I can help him.”

“That is very nice of you.”

“We should keep cleaning, then,” Timmy declares. “So the house will be all nice when he arrives. I want to show him my new room.”

Timmy throws himself off the kitchen stool, but then he stops. “Dad?”

“Yes, baby?” Blaine sighs, stretching and preparing himself to meticulously clean the rest of this hideous place.

“He's not sleeping in my room, is he?”

Blaine chuckles. “No, baby, he's going to sleep in the spare room. Each of you will have his own room, don't worry.”

Timmy nods. “Good. I can definitely be his friend then!”

Blaine watches him go about the kitchen, dusting random items here and there with the same care of an archaeologist dusting a perfectly preserved T-Rex's bone and he wishes with all his heart he could be just as sure.


End file.
